New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-27
UHERE FOREST FIXES RACED.
THE FLAMES DID MORE GOOD THAN HARM
CniNCH BUGS AND OTHER NoXTOUs INSECTS DE-
sTRoYED-GREEN TREES NOT DESTROYED.
TRY TELEGRAPH TO THE rkIRISEl

STROYED-GEEEN TREES NOT DESTROYED.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE rnIBUSE.I
CAIRO, H., Nov. 2G-For weeks black smoke has hung
heavy and low all over Southern Illinois smoke from
burning words Every other man complains OF burning
eyeballs and lungs The sun has appeared like an
August moon and has given little more light Night
travel has been slmOst impossible on the roads. Tho
driver couldn't the horse Steamboat travel on the
river was impossible and for several Gays not wheel
turned The smoke has been heavy that neither
shore visible from the channel Tho long continued
drouth has dried up the swanps and small streams and
nearly exhausted the rivers. In May 1856. general
heavy rain fell Another fell on July 3. aud that IA all
the rain Egyp has had in nineteen months The crops
OF grain and fruit nave. OF course. been Hight. Tho
country has been threatened with n water famine.
C.erns and wells have exhausted stock water ha,
been hard 10 lind aud thousands OF cattle have been
sold this fa! by farmers who found II impossible to
winter stock. on the road thcro are as many water
wagons as grain wagons The farmer who had water In
his we'll grulgingy allowed the traveller to water his
horse aud generally naty refused At the State Insane
Asylum In Anna the water supply ~ nearly gone For
the last month the daily consumption VI water has been
twelfth the quantity used when water Is plentiful
The patients have been allowed to battle and the
sewers and drain pipes have not been flushed The
water usually for the fire emergency has been
uscd until only ono tanktul remains The Laundry
work has been down half and everything posi-
bic done to oconOmizc the water supply. Tie dry
weather has made the timber brush and grIs. aul
every wooden house innammHbe rs IA box Of matches
With the opening OF the hunting and nuttng season tho
forest fires began. Hunters camp fires spread over
great tracts Pecan gherers generally burn the leaves
of the ground under the trees TO ind the nuts and are
not always careful 10 extinguish the IRE The
has been poor Tor dnck hunting. Thcie have been
no suitable place, for the ducks TO hold conventions
Turkey hunters have also been al fault The ground has
been dry for the dogs to track the turkeys Many
dccr have been killed Te forest fires drove them into
the clcaringa within gun range OF the house doors
The dry grass that covered swaLps has not only been
burned over but the peat has been burned out Niger
Wood swamp. nifty mites long and eight miles wide,
opposite Cairo the Missouri shore, has been burning
TOR weeks Many hunters have been started for home
and uch good hunting spoiled. but aside from this little
actual damage has been done. For a month the woods
and swanps all along the Mississippi and Ohio bottoms
and those wooded lliy counties In the extreme
south OF the state have been burning The forest fires
presented beautiful Wow at night. There Is not tho
solid sheet OF flame I'm burning building. The green
do not buru only their coverings OF dry leaves
moss aud vines the underbrush The namcs spread
In all sorts OF fantastic figures In the blackncss OF the
night the form OF tree Is hardly outlined. and burning
vine up Its trunk looks like fiery quiN Nerng rod stand
Ing upright IN black space. Tall dead trunks present
monuments OF flame, and the woolbnc which crowns
falls To the earth In shower Of sparks The soft,
powdcry mossc. at Hash In quickly disap
pearing hicroglyphcs ot name. and the dead leaves
separated little piles by tho cypress knees burn often
semi circles the stage fooshts for somc woolway
trasedian.
But the chinch bugs and malaral germs can't see It
this way. They hayo perisAed by the million There
have appeared many newspaper dispatches concerning
these forest hres aud the destruction they wrought
but nothing has been burned except rail fences and
there are enough fences in this entire country TO
fence county north OF tue Vandalia Railroad Much
timber has been destroyed but timber Is at discount
here. There isn't much else. Enough doctors bills
have Deen saved by the burning out Of swanps moro
than pay for all the damage done. The corn IN tho
bottoms win have fewer pests 10 contend with next
summer than for many seasons, Hnd rioh grass VIII
spring mp the track or the forest fires southern
Illinois thought It cursed with fire. but IL was
blessed As hnal benedictiOn tho rain came down In
yesterday the first for more than four months
Is still raining to-day. The wheat hasn't grown an
inch since II through the ground rise In tho
Ohio will bring down OF coal boats and relieve an
exhausted @ market The river 50 low as now
and nav cation Is almost suspended